BArch and BFA Programs Rise in the 2017 DesignIntelligence National Rankings
Moving up in the national rankings, the undergraduate architecture program at Woodbury University’s School of Architecture is among the top 25 nationally for the second year in a row. At the same time, Woodbury’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture was ranked 15th in the nation – a dramatic rise for the program, considering the large pool of interior architecture programs in the U.S. and the high density of architecture schools in the region.
2017 DesignIntelligence Ranks BArch 23rd Nationally
The Bachelor of Architecture program was rated 23rd in the 2017 DesignIntelligence survey of the nation’s Top 35 undergraduate architecture programs, rising one spot from the 2016 rankings. There are more than 140 accredited undergraduate architecture programs in the United States alone, and Woodbury’s program has moved up in the rankings on a consistent basis. With campuses in Los Angeles and San Diego, this hands-on, practical curriculum prioritizes current issues such as sustainability, civic engagement and new technologies.
BFA in Interior Architecture Ranks 15th out of 190 Accredited Interior Programs Nationally
The rise of the Interior Architecture program is even more remarkable given that the program has not placed nationally since 2009-10, and is ranked 15th out of a pool of more than 190 accredited interior programs in the country. Through engaged faculty-student interaction, Woodbury’s Interior Architecture program prepares students to tackle theoretical debates and to develop their own unique design voices.
“This is a tremendous achievement and testament to the extraordinary teaching taking place at Woodbury School of Architecture,” said Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter, AIA, Interim Dean of the School of Architecture. “Transformed by their education, our students and alumni are making a difference in the world, and people are noticing. Congratulations to our students and alumni, our faculty and staff, in Los Angeles and San Diego.”
“The new DesignIntelligence rankings affirm the School of Architecture’s position as a destination of choice for students throughout the profession,” said Dr. David Steele-Figueredo, Woodbury University President. “Historically, the School has not only trained exceptional, civic-minded practitioners but successfully advanced the state of the art in architecture education.”
“As an architecture firm that has hired Woodbury School of Architecture graduates in the past, I am not surprised about these tremendous rankings for the school,” said Amy L. Williams, AIA, LEED AP, Managing Principal and Vice President, HDR. “The Woodbury graduates have been superb and came with an excellent and well-rounded, creative and hands-on skill set which speaks for the high quality of the Woodbury curriculum when it comes to preparing students for the architecture profession.”
Woodbury’s IPAL Program Available to Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
In 2015, Woodbury’s Architecture program was accepted by the National Council of Architects Registration Boards (NCARB) as one of only fourteen schools in the country whose students will now have an opportunity to achieve architectural licensure upon graduation. Woodbury is the only school of architecture where the IPAL program is available to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Assessing undergraduate and graduate programs across the country, the DesignIntelligence annual report ranks the Best Architecture Schools in the U.S. As part of its 17th edition, the survey queried nearly 1,500 professional practice organizations. DI asked this of architecture firms: “In your firm’s hiring experience in the past five years, which of the following schools are best preparing students for success in the profession?” The 2017 rankings combined survey responses with detailed accounts of the best programs that teach skills in design, communication, sustainability and technology.
Woodbury University’s School of Architecture is a network of hubs strategically sited within the Southern California megalopolis: Burbank/Los Angeles, San Diego and Hollywood. Together, these sites form a critical infrastructure for architectural investigations. The school’s undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture and interior architecture train students as entrepreneurs, architect citizens, and cultural builders.